


The Coldest Hour

by mkhhhx



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Denial of Feelings, Domestic, Emotional Constipation, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Spells & Enchantments, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:07:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28238961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mkhhhx/pseuds/mkhhhx
Summary: Dealing with some weird spell binding his temperature to his groupmate is weird enough. Dealing with that AND the widespread gossip of him and said groupmate dating though? Well, that's a lot.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun
Comments: 44
Kudos: 360
Collections: NCTV Secret Santa 2020





	The Coldest Hour

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sayounarahitori](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sayounarahitori/gifts).



> This fic is part of the 2020 nctv Secret Santa and it's dedicated to sayounarahitori.  
> Dear prompter, I really enjoyed your prompts. I hope I did this one justice and you enjoy it a lot!

Kun has made some wrong decisions in the course of his life. Definitely some especially dumb ones. They all lead to various kinds of wrong, difficult, or fucked up situations, but ultimately, one way or another, he resolved them and moved on becoming a little wiser than he was before.

The situation he has to face now though, well that’s a big fuck up although not his doing. Ten, a meter or so away stares up at him in disbelief while Donghyuck and Yangyang are loudly panicking by their side.

“It worked?” Donghyuck asks for the nth time in disbelief. “It really did?”

“You’re not playing a prank on us, right?” Yangyang looks at him and Ten, a little calmer than Donghyuck but seemingly more and more convinced by the second.

“We are not,” Tan says, letting out a deep breath. “Oh damn.”

“How do we undo this, does your book say anything?” Kun asks taking a few steps closer to Ten. The temperature goes up a few degrees instantly and Ten looks up at him with the same look of confusion and disbelief Kun must be sporting.

“It only says ‘love can bring warmth to the coldest of nights’”, Donghyuck reads the fading page. “I have no idea what the hell that means.”

“Oh god,” Ten buries his face in his hands.

“Oh god,” Kun repeats.

After a full hour of his body temperature going up and down it’s not funny or amusing anymore. He doesn’t know how long this will be taking effect, or for how long they can cope.

It all starts when Kun and Ten get back from the studio to find Donghyuck and Yangyang sprawled on the living room floor in the WayV dorm, a heavy, dusty-looking book between them.

“What’s up kids?” Kun had said, walking next to them to take a look at the book. It’s not like either Yangyang or Donghyuck spend their spare time reading literature, usually screaming to each other through their mics while playing online games.

“We found this at the flea market,” Yangyang says, tapping the page they are on.

“It’s a book with ancient spells,” Donghyuck explains. “Not sure how valid it is, though.”

“You guys got scammed,” Ten laughs, taking his coat off and climbing on one of the couches. “What will you do with it, turn Bella into a frog or something?”

“Actually,” Yangyang rubs his chin. “We could try one of the spells on you.”

“On me?” Ten points at himself. “Try whatever you want but I’m not moving.”

Kun takes the other end of the couch, watching as Donghyuck and Yangyang go through the pages talking between themselves, giving a little shrug to Ten, his ‘as long as the kids are enjoying themselves’ shrug.

Kun has almost drifted to sleep, exhausted by hours spent holed in the studio working on a composition that Ten intends on choreographing when Yangyang exclaims “THIS IS IT!”

“This is what?” Ten leans a little to investigate the page they have open. “Bonding spell?”

“It says it can be used to make two people bond,” Donghyuck taps at the text. “It’s perfect for you and Kun hyung!”

“Me and Kun hyung have already bonded a decent amount, thank you very much,” Ten raises his eyebrows. The only problem is that Donghyuck has set his mind on it and Yangyang does nothing to help his extremely poor impulse control.

“Do we have to get up for it?” Kun asks, hugging the soft pillow on his lap. Donghyuck shakes his head. “Whatever then, just try it and be done with it.”

“You’ll just let them do anything an old books says?” Ten mutters, a tiny bit concerned judging from his squinting eyes.

“As if it’ll work,” Kun chuckles. “They’ll calm down once they try and see it failing,” he adds, lower.

So they let Yangyang and Donghyuck stand in front of them, holding one side of the book each, chanting something intelligible and out of synchronisation with each other. It’s a little ridiculous but Kun’s too tired to start giggling like Ten does. He just watches the two boys with something akin to fondness thinking it’s just one more little dumb memory on the making.

As expected, nothing happens. Kun and Ten look at each other while Donghyuck and Yangyang look at them with wide eyes.

“Well?” Yangyang asks. “How are we feeling?”

“Tired,” Ten gets up. “Are you done? I need to shower and get some sleep.”

“We’re done, yeah,” Donghyuck pouts, obviously sad their grand spell did not work. Ten pats both of their heads and walks to his room to fetch some clothes for his shower.

That’s when Kun feels it. He knows something is wrong and that Ten feels it too because he stops in his tracks a few steps inside his room and turns to look back at him the in the living room.

“It’s too cold in here,” he says and Kun opens his mouth before he shuts it again. How to explain that he felt the temperature in the living room dropping a couple degrees completely out of the blue without sounding like a lunatic?

“It’s…it’s cold in here too,” Kun mutters in disbelief, realising that something must be _very_ wrong.

“It’s not cold at all?” Yangyang says, pulling on the hem of his thin shirt.

“It’s actually warm in here, the heating is on, isn’t is?” Donghyuck says, sharing a look with Yangyang.

“No,” Ten says. “It’s cold.” He takes a step. Then another one back into the living room and Kun feels the heat returning. And then, experimentally, Ten moves into his room and the temperature drops again.

They share a look as Ten finally gets back to the living room right by Kun’s side. Realisation creeps in.

“What is it?” Donghyuck asks, his cheerful expression turning serious. “Did something happen after all?”

“You felt it too, right?” Kun turns his head to ask Ten who gives a nod.

It’s at that moment when Kun realises they might or might not be in big trouble.

They pretty much try to ignore it the first few days and it’s somewhat ridiculous. Kun goes everywhere in his oversized cardigan with a hoodie underneath while Ten moves around the house wrapped in his quilt even when their heating is all the way up. It doesn’t take long for the questions to start popping, everyone (except Yangyang) coming to the easy and reasonable conclusion: Ten and Kun have gotten sick.

“Do you think it’ll go away by itself?” Ten asks sitting on the edge of Kun’s bed. It’s warm and nice with him in the room and Kun takes his cardigan off.

“I hope so,” he says. “We can’t do much but hope.”

“Donghyuck told me he read the whole book last night trying to find a way to reverse…” Ten waves to the space between them. “Whatever they did.”

“I guess he wasn’t very successful,” Kun laughs. There’s nothing funny about the situation, but it draws a smile out of Ten too.

“There’s only that little quote about love at the end of the page,” Ten’s brows furrow. “But I kinda love you already? We’ve known each other for so long, we are as close as it goes.”

“That’s right,” Kun shrugs. “I’m sure it’ll fade out eventually, Ten.”

“Yeah,” Ten mutters, staying perched on Kun’s bed. There’s no reason to move if they’re the most comfortable like this.

Kun gets a little better at managing himself when far from Ten, when he’s freezing. It’s still winter and some of the practise rooms are constantly cold so him being overdressed isn’t that out of place. He wonders how they’ll cope at summer but pushes the thought out of his mind; he’s sure the spell or whatever it is will be have been resolved by then, certainly.

What Ten had told him; about how they are the closest they could be, it’s true. They’ve known each other for too long, they had lived together even before debut, practised and laughed by each other’s sides and have shared so many milestones in front of and behind the cameras. So Kun doesn’t try to think about any other possible implications of that little phrase. About how there are kinds of love that exceed deep professional respect and long-standing friendship. That’s certainly out of the question, he tells himself, totally not.

Apart from them, still only Yangyang and Donghyuck know and Kun is sure that if they tried to explain the situation to others they would create a bigger mess, if anyone even believed them, that is. He keeps to himself, wraps his cardigan and coat close to his body and waits until they are back at their dorm every night just so they can sit at his or Ten’s room for a while before sleeping, talk about this or that. It’s the time when the temperature is just right. When he’s with Ten he is warm and nice and comfortable.

Sitting with each other before sleep soon easily turns to passing out on each other’s beds which, in turn, leads to the next seemingly very natural step: two and a half weeks after the spell mess Kun finds himself waking up in Ten’s bed with a warm body close to his own, too close maybe. It takes him a few seconds to properly half wake up and realise, in mind horror, he is cuddling Ten, has probably cuddled Ten all through the night.

It’s even more terrifying when Ten wakes up a little later, right as Kun is about to leave and pulls him back into bed.

“Don’t go,” Ten says, voice hoarse with sleep but still so soft. “Don’t wanna be cold.”

Kun stays that morning knowing they don’t have early schedules to attend and with the dorm still quiet, signalling that it’s still too early anyway. He knows it’s a slippery slope from there on, knows they won’t be able to help it. And like clockwork, every single morning after that he wakes up by Ten’s side.

“So,” Yukhei says over breakfast. Everyone else is out, either for practise or on personal schedules, leaving Kun cold and grumpy. “Are things going well between you and Ten?”

“Huh?” Kun looks at him, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah? Why wouldn’t they?”

“I’m happy for you,” Yukhei pats his shoulder. “You both deserve it.”

“Uhm….” Kun tries to salvage the situation, the gears in his mind turning, but it’s all in vain, Yukhei’s smile too wide. The damage seems to be done.

“You don’t have to say anything or explain yourself, Kun,” he looks like some excited puppy with his too wide smile. “You can’t choose who you love, and we all support you.”

“That’s…” Kun gives up. It’ll be a mess, but at least he doesn’t have to explain anything about old books and spells. “That’s very nice, thank you, Xuxi.”

“People think me and Ten are dating,” he says later, when he’s in a practise room with Yangyang. “Because we started sleeping together.”

“I don’t want to know the details,” Yangyang retorts, putting his water bottle down.

“Not like that!” Kun raises his hands in exasperation. “We just sleep at the same bed because we’re cold all the time!”

“Is it really that bad?” Yangyang gets closer and takes Kun’s wrist into his hand. “Oh damn, you’re really icy cold.”

“That’s your doing,” Kun exhales and it comes a little snappier than intended, Yangyang’s eyes turning downwards.

“I’m so sorry, you know we didn’t think-“

“You didn’t think it’d work and neither did me and Ten, it’s alright Yangyang.” He wonders where Ten is, if he’ll be coming back at the dorm early that night. “It’s your doing but ultimately not your fault.”

“You aren’t pissed at me and Hyuck?” Yangyang asks, as if anyone could be pissed to those impossibly big eyes.

“I’m not, neither is Ten,” Kun states. “We just hope it gets resolved the soonest possible.”

So now Kun has to both deal with some weird spell binding his body temperature to his groupmate and the widespread gossip of him and said groupmate dating.

“Do you think we should, like, maybe say something?” Ten mutters while flat on his bed, scrolling through his phone with Kun draped on top of him. “Taeyong asked me if we’re dating yesterday and I just rolled with it. Mentioned he heard it from Yuta, who heard it from Jungwoo who probably heard it from,” Ten takes a deep breath in. “Lucas.”

Now, that was bad. The issue staying within the thin walls of their very own dorm, that could be manageable. Just seven people, minus him and Ten. Just five people, albeit extremely gossipy people, but it would die down eventually. This spreading to the other dorms and units though, that was bad news and Kun, from the aforementioned info could very safely presume that everyone by now is convinced that he and Ten are dating.

“I think…saying anything would mess things up,” Kun scowls to nobody but himself. “Let’s just…roll with it, right?”

Ten cranes his neck to look at him. He’s glowing, make-up off and face worn down by exhaustion, but soft and gentle. There’s a moment bordering on awkwardness when neither of them says anything, broken by Ten’s voice, low and almost shy.

“Yeah,” he nods. “Let’s just roll with it for now,” Ten laughs, lifting his upper body up to press his cheek on Kun’s, warm and cosy. “We can fake our breakup later, when we’ve sorted this whole mess out.”

“Fake our breakup,” Kun giggles, amused. “Sure, let’s do that.”

The next few weeks don’t quite feel real. Kun is almost overwhelmed with well-intentioned interest over his new, blooming, fake-relationship and he can guess Ten is going through something similar with his own circle of closest friends.

“That’s unfair,” Chenle whines over lunch Kun prepares for him. “I want a girlfriend too!” He pouts, as if the universe is going to indulge him with the girl of his dreams waiting at his apartment door.

“Maybe when you’re my age,” Kun laughs over a mouthful of noodles. “Older and wise.”

“I don’t think dating Ten counts as any kind of wise, Kun-ge,” Chenle lifts an eyebrow. “But you do you. Or do him. No I don’t actually want to think about this. Anyway.”

Kun laughs good-heartedly at the dramatic way Chenle’s expression briefly turns to disgust for and the happiness bubbling in his stomach almost distracts him from how cold he feels, even for a moment. And then he’s back to wondering where Ten is, missing him and his warmth, trying to concentrate on what Chenle is telling him about Dream’s album preparations.

“A relationship with a groupmate is the least and most risky kind of relationship you can have in the industry,” Taeil shares his thoughts sprawled on the couch of Kun’s studio one late night. Kun tries to not think about how Taeil is in just in a thin tee while he’s bundled up like they’re in Siberia. “I honestly don’t know if you two are extremely dumb or somewhat smart, but I support it nonetheless.”

Kun hums at that, pretending he isn’t bothered and overthinking the statement as much as he truly is. He braces himself for more conversations and advice and smirks and pats at his back while he hopes and supposes the hype will fade relatively quickly. Especially with all units having to prepare things, soon they should all just be too tired for gossip and fun. Hopefully by the time they’ll have to announce their fake breakup things will be stable enough for everyone to handle it in a dignified manner. Everything to not alert the managers, really, because that’s a line Kun would rather not step on.

“You’re cooking,” Ten places his head on Kun’s shoulder, nosy as ever. “What are you cooking?” He sniffs the air comically. “I’m so hungry.”

“It’s kimchi stew,” Kun doesn’t try to push him away, resuming his stirring and mixing and looking over the food, Ten warm and comforting by his side. Kun kind of wants them to be exactly like this at all possible times.

“You’re so warm,” Ten muses, nuzzling on Kun’s nape, arms sneaking around Kun’s waist and his breath is tickling Kun’s ear. It doesn’t affect him, he tells himself, not in the slightest. It’s just familiarity.

“They’re so cute,” Hendery shout-whispers from the living room, to which Ten just chuckles.

“Wanna play along?” Ten asks, and even if he can’t see it, Kun knows there’s a grin on his face.

“Play along to what?” Kun asks, eyes faithfully stuck to the pot in front of him.

“Being boyfriends,” Ten says, as if it’s the simplest thing in the world. Just being boyfriends. Fake boyfriends. In their dorm kitchen, with their members a few steps away. Kun ideally would have asked for clarification as to what exactly that means and includes, but he feels somewhat hazy so he doesn’t say anything and instead just gives a little nod to it.

Ten’s lips are soft. Soft and very, very warm. Kun registers that he probably uses lip balm before his mind shuts down for good when Ten presses a kiss on the side of his neck, then on his shoulder and jawline. Kun manages to tune out all the gagging noises coming from the living room along with Ten’s pleased hum as he finishes the job and draws back, the places where he left kisses both on naked and clothed skin feeling like they are ablaze.

“What did you just do?” He mutters somewhat in a daze, not quite sure of the words coming out of his mouth.

“Kissed my boyfriend?” Ten beams, nosing at the shoulder of Kun’s oversized sweater. “In the way boyfriends do?”

“Right,” Kun says, more to himself than to anyone else. “As boyfriends do,” he turns his head to smile at Ten. “In the way we, as boyfriends, do.”

Ten beams and Kun braces himself for what’s to come. Probably more kisses although once he calms his raging heart he can’t find it into himself to complain.

Kun knew he wasn’t straight from quite early on. Few people were privy to this kind of information, well, that until the whole fake-dating thing got blown out of proportion cross-subunitially. He had his fair share of crushes growing up, back at home and even after settling at Korea as a trainee. He never acted on them knowing that jeopardising his career that early on would be irreversible and thankfully none of these crushes were directed to a groupmate.

That until Ten. Well, he doesn’t think he had or has a crush on Ten. On the other hand, trying to convince himself he doesn’t have a crush on Ten is probably a bad sign and his mental capacity can only bear that much thinking after a full day of practise and the occasional outside schedules. So he wills himself to settle on a negative answer. It’s all fake until the storm passes. That’s it and nothing more. Anything potentially more, he ignores it for everyone’s sake and especially his own.

He ignores how fast his heart beats when Ten drapes himself all over him on the bed or when he pecks his cheeks cuddling him in the living room in plain sight for everyone to see. He ignores how Ten’s eyes glint before he buries his head in Kun’s chest and asks for his hair to be caressed. If Kun ignores everything for long enough he is sure they will both get out of the situation unscathed. Probably. Damn. He’s so fucked.

“What?” Sicheng asks. “Everything alright?”

“What?” Kun repeats, headphones pooled around his neck and the piece of composition he was working on abandoned for the past couple minutes in favour of dozing off. And thinking of Ten.

“You just said you’re so fucked?” Sicheng gives him a sympathetic look. “Didn’t sound like you were referring to the composition.”

“Ah…haha” Kun gives the least convincing nervous laugh of his whole life, knowing that Sicheng can see right through him. “I was just thinking about deadlines…yeah, I have a lot to do.”

“Okay,” Sicheng nods, thankfully always somewhat passive when it came to other people’s issues. He doesn’t need to say anything else, and Kun knows he could trust him with his thoughts but prefers not to. “Can we turn the heating down?” Is what Sicheng says as an afterthought, clad in a flimsy tee with the WayV logo.

“Sure,” Kun smiles, pretending he’s comfortable in his thick hoodie. It has started getting so cold that heating or not it doesn’t make much of a difference when he and Ten aren’t together, his freezing fingertips and toes almost a familiar sensation by now as he and Ten are working on different projects and have to spend too many hours apart.

“Has it gotten any better?” Donghyuck leans into his space to whisper, hopefully out of earshot of the other members scattered around. “Yangyang told me it hasn’t.”

“It’s…” Kun takes a look at Donghyuck’s hurt expression. “It isn’t better, but we manage.”

“I’m sorry,” Donghyuck lets his head loll down, sweaty dirty blond hair falling on his face. “Do heat packs help any?” He produces a little warm bundle from his sweats pocket and offers it to Kun.

“Not really,” Kun takes the pack nonetheless, the artificial heat just intensifying how cold the rest of his body feels. “But thank you.”

“Hyung…” Donghyuck trails off and Kun momentarily registers Ten’s eyes on them. He’s at the front of the room with Jungwoo smoothing out some steps and looks back at his practice mate in an instant.

“Yeah?” Kun probes, knowing that when Donghyuck is serious he needs those small nudges and attention to keep talking.

“You aren’t really dating Ten-hyung, are you?” He looks terrified right after the words leave his mouth. “I mean I wouldn’t have any problem if you did, I mean-“

“Hey,” Kun smiles. He’s in a better mood with Ten in the same room, those whole group occasional practices or bonding time they arrange every now and then a blessing. “You are right, we aren’t really dating, it’s just, you know…”

“To make things easier,” Donghyuck licks his lips. “For as long as it takes.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Kun agrees. “To make things easier, just for now.”

Donghyuck pats his back as if he knows something he doesn’t, or can see something Kun is missing. Then again, Kun was never the priviest to the group gossip while Donghyuck, well, he was the hub redistributing all the juicy news around. So maybe there’s something under the surface that Kun is missing. Or ignoring. Maybe he even knows what it is. He wills himself to get up and step by Dejun’s side to resume their practice. And if they’re good they might be able to go home early. And the sooner they’re home the sooner Kun will be warm and comfortable in Ten’s arms.

“What if we just stay like this forever?” Ten says, freshly washed hair tickling Kun’s nose. “I’m tired of being cold, let’s just stay in bed.”

Kun laughs, a little strained but warm and happy bringing an arm up to Ten’s nape, brushing the soft skin and short hair with his fingers. “I don’t think the company would like that.”

“Yeah, but I’d like that,” Ten leaves a kiss on the bare skin at the base of Kun’s neck. “We should indulge ourselves every now and then even against the company’s wishes.”

“I feel like you’re trying to tell me something,” it’s a statement more than it is a question. “I don’t think the company will care much if we spend the whole weekend bundled in here, honestly. Things are still slow these days.”

“I’m not trying to say anything, Kun,” Ten lifts his head to look at him. “Can I try something?”

“Okay,” Kun croaks out. They are too close and when Ten doesn’t really move, only adjusting his position a little Kun knows what’s to come.

It’s a soft kiss. A brief one that tastes like toothpaste and something vague that’s so Ten. It leaves Kun with more questions about himself than anything.

Things get bad when Ten has to travel abroad. They were all aware of the schedule beforehand and -as far as idol schedules go- it wasn’t even that bad or tiring. Just a week filled with some show appearances and stages abroad, a load of interviews for SuperM and then they’d be back at Korean ground before even the seven-day mark. So yeah, nobody was worried or stressed about it, except maybe Kun and Ten.

As if the other members could sense their discomfort, they kept giving them extra space the days prior to Ten’s departure, probably thinking they’d miss each other in some sappy way all while Kun was trying to hoard as much body warmth as humanely possible even if he knew it wouldn’t make much of a difference when they’d be apart, they’d be freezing all the same.

Kun was also scared. Being away from each other while at the same city was already painful enough and nobody could confirm or deny that it wouldn’t get even worse with so many miles between them; they’d have to find out by themselves the hard way.

“I’m gonna miss this,” Ten whispers, tracing lines on Kun’s nape with his index. “I’m gonna miss you,” he says, with a little less confidence. “I wish I didn’t have to go.”

“It’s only six days,” Kun holds him loosely around the waist. “You’re gonna be back before you’ll even realize it.”

“Yeah,” Ten rubs against his neck, whole body on Kun’s but it’s comfortable, he’s light. Either that or Kun has gotten too used to him. It’s unspoken but they are getting ready to sleep, spending those precious last hours together before their manager barges in to fetch Ten and drive him to the airport.

Kun wonders if it’d be okay to ask for, or to offer a kiss. After their first actual kiss a few days ago there wasn’t a repetition save for some cheek and forehead pecks and Ten’s fingers wandering without much purpose. But that first and only proper kiss, Kun liked it a lot and maybe even more than he should. There’s not much to not like in kisses, especially when they are soft and warm and shared with someone you care deeply about.

At the same time he knows it didn’t mean anything. They are good friends after all, and a kiss wouldn’t change that. He can safely guess that it was a gesture born out of proximity and comfort. Yet Kun -while slightly confused with his own self and feelings- wants a repetition, just to recall how soft Ten’s lips were on his own, just to feel that wonderful warmth spreading across his body when Ten moved slowly, almost carefully against him. He supposes it’s just because it felt good, a purely physical response to being kissed, that’s why he keeps seeking it it out. They don’t kiss that night though. He holds Ten a little tighter and wills himself to fall asleep hoping he’ll still be able to remember that exact moment in a couple days’ time.

Ten leaves and Kun isn’t that much colder than usually, thankfully because he didn’t know how he would cope with something like that. Still, he’s way more irritable than usual. He has to consciously keep himself back from snapping at his groupmates and spends most of his time shut in his studio at the company building.

That’s where he finds Johnny, at the buzzling cafeteria. He usually tries to cook at home and have packed lunch with him, but the cafeteria food isn’t half bad despite the almost 100% percent chance he’ll stumble upon someone and will have to socialize, if anything just out of politeness. In fact there are a lot of familiar faces around, some situated on the tables giving polite greetings and fleeting small talk, others just getting their snacks and rushing back to the practice rooms. Johnny steps at the cafeteria a little later and joins him on the table where Kun was sitting alone, telling him about his new mixtape and even letting Kun listen to the small part of it he has saved into his phone.

“How is it?” Johnny asks, seemingly out of the blue, eyes firm onto Kun’s and it’d almost be scary if Johnny wasn’t such a gentle presence usually.

“How is what?” Kun croaks, preparing himself. Johnny is one of Ten’s closest friends, after all.

“Being together and being apart for the first time after being together,” Johnny chuckles.

“It’s…okay,” Kun shrugs lacking a better answer and not eager to say it’s way less than okay. Ten has sent a few selfies and photos in their group chat but hasn’t contacted Kun personally so despite Kun’s finger hovering above the call button he chicken outs time after time, convincing himself Ten is too busy to spare time on the phone anyway.

“It’s still hard to believe,” Johnny continues, all smiley. “Never thought I’d actually get to see you together after Ten talking about you for so long.”

“What?” Kun’s eyes go wide open. What does ‘so long’ mean? How long is so long? “What do you mean?”

“You know, it’s just wonderful how he had a crush on you for so long and now you are finally together.”

“For so long?” Kun echoes and Johnny’s brows furrow.

“Yeah…” Johnny mutters. “Since his late trainee days…oh fuck…you didn’t know that, Kun, did you? You thought it was a recent development?”

“It’s….” Kun gulps down his sandwich. “It’s okay.”

Yeah, he thought it was recent. If it was a development, even. He excuses himself, saying he has to wrap up his work before it’s too late. Shuts himself inside until too late anyway. Doesn’t tap Ten’s call button the whole following week and ignores the shared photos in the group chat. He needs some time and space to do some thinking, absolutely terrified with the answers he might find.

Kun doesn’t see or hear Ten’s voice in six days and thirteen hours, which is quite a respectable amount of time to do his thinking. Most of it consists of snacking inside his studio pretending to be working on one track or the other while mildly freaking out. A less significant amount of time is also spent in the dorm, face pressed on Ten’s pillow, inhaling the leftovers of his clean subtle scent and internally screaming.

The first fact is that Ten has liked him since their trainee days if Johnny’s info is anything to go by. Their trainee days that have been so long ago, a really long time to crush on someone and not act on it the slightest. Or at least that’s what Kun thinks, that Ten never acted on it prior to the opportunity of them being bound by some freaky magical cold-inducing bond.

Then he starts remembering different instances, seeing little actions under a different light. Ten buying Kun’s favorite drink from the convenience store without having to ask him first. Ten covering him with their softest quilt when he’d pass out at the Dream dorm’s shitty couch after a day of training and trying to take care of rowdy teenagers while he wasn’t even a proper adult himself yet. How Ten would diffuse every difficult situation and be there for him as a pillar of the group, as his left hand and as a friend that Kun could whole heartedly trust.

Kun is still sure most of these instances, of Ten being next to him at every step and every curve of the way, were born more out of their friendship than anything else. But once he realises that yeah, there was an undertone of something else underneath, he cannot keep ignoring it and soon enough when he’s cold and trying to be as comfortable as possible under too many duvets it’s all he can think about, his mind running in circles.

So that is the second fact: Kun likes Ten too. He has liked him for a short -but not too short- while, even if he wasn’t consciously aware of it. They’ve been cuddling and sleeping together and now Kun finds himself missing Ten like a fish the water. He thinks about how they’ll talk about it, about how they’ll snap out of their whole fake-relationship skit and work it to something else. Maybe Ten will take a step back and maybe they’ll really have to fake-break up. But there’s also the chance of Ten being happy with the development. Of kissing Kun again.

Kun knows it’s too soon to daydream about happy ever afters -which won’t truly ever come as long as they are stuck in the hell of the entertainment industry anyway- but he lets himself dream. The little button above Ten’s contact is calling his name more than ever, but once more Kun holds himself back. He waited the whole six days, and he can wait a few more hours and soon enough Ten will be back and Kun will be able to bask in his warmth.

“Kun?” Ten steps inside his room to find Kun asleep. “Kunnie?”

Kun stirs, only vaguely aware of his surroundings but also pleasantly warm. “Ten?” He turns on his side to look at Ten’s form right behind the door, only his backpack on tow, luggage probably left in the living room. “You’re back.” He’s sleepy but he knows Ten can hear the smile in his voice. “Come here?”

Ten takes the few steps to the bed and he smells like their dorm hand soap and sweat with a hint of his cologne. “Missed me?” He sits at the edge of the mattress, hand gently caressing through Kun’s hair. “We don’t have any schedules, stay here so we can sleep together.”

“Ten,” Kun suddenly sits upright on the bed. He knows Ten must be exhausted and it’s not the best possible time to do this, but he feels like he’s going to explode if he doesn’t get it out of his chest the soonest possible. “I need to tell you something?”

The response is slow. Ten takes his hoodie off, Kun’s oversized tee underneath and turns to look at him. “Yeah?” It might just be Kun and his mind still hazy with sleep, but he could swear there’s an excited glint flickering in Ten’s eyes.

“Yeah,” he gulps down. “Come here?” He opens his arms, and waist for Ten to climb on the bed and get comfortable, facing him like an oversized cat, warm and soft in his lap.

“What is it?” Ten smiles and Kun takes a moment too long to answer, basking in the warmth between their bodies. He can’t possibly ever let Ten go again.

He takes a deep breath and looks at Ten. Tries to relax. He knows this can go well or bad, but also that it can’t go terribly bad, so he takes his chances.

“I like you,” he says. The way Ten’s lips turn upwards fill his chest with confidence and before he has any time to think about it, he opens his mouth again. “I really like you.”

Ten makes the softest little ‘oh’ sound, slowly getting closer until there’s no space left between them. Kun doesn’t know who’s the first to lean in, but then he’s kissing Ten and Ten is kissing him back and they are falling into the bed together, the rest of the dorm completely silent outside the bedroom door.

It’s warm and it gets warmer and at some point, between Ten’s lips pressed on his pulse point and falling asleep as the small spoon, Kun loses track of both the time and the temperature.

When Kun wakes up he’s warm and well rested, feeling like he’s somehow caught up on all the sleep he was missing the past week. Ten isn’t next to him, the second pillow and the empty side of the bed gone cold. He doesn’t register the information at first. But then he does a double take around the room. He is really alone, no Ten in sight.

He steps out to the half crowded living room only in a flimsy shirt and his boxers, so happy he wants to shout it out for the whole world to know.

“Has the heater always been set so high?” He asks, earning confused looks from a couple groupmates, but he’s not looking at them.

“Yeah,” Ten smiles his most blinding smile up at him. “Yeah, it has.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, see you at the reveals!
> 
> After reveals edit: You can find me [here](https://twitter.com/kuns_dimples)!


End file.
